News blog + Swine flu | The Guardianhttp://www.theguardian.com/news/blog+world/swine-flu
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Baby kissing and shaking hands are out as swine flu touches Japan's electionhttp://www.theguardian.com/news/blog/2009/aug/28/justin-mccurry-japan-election-blog
Fears over the virus are not enough to stop some committed candidates getting among the electorate ahead of Sunday's poll<p>Baby kissing has never been a feature of election campaigns in Japan, where door-to-door canvassing is forbidden, walkabouts generally loathed, and speeches delivered from the safety of a minibus roof.</p><p>Now, though, even a handshake appears out of the question as <a href="http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/news/20090827p2a00m0na006000c.html" title="Japan attempts to slow the spread of swine flu">Japan attempts to slow the spread of swine flu</a>.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/news/blog/2009/aug/28/justin-mccurry-japan-election-blog">Continue reading...</a>JapanSwine fluWorld newsAsia PacificFri, 28 Aug 2009 07:48:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/news/blog/2009/aug/28/justin-mccurry-japan-election-blogJustin McCurry in Tokyo2009-08-28T07:48:00ZSwine flu hotline: hot or not?http://www.theguardian.com/news/blog/2009/jul/28/swine-flu-hotline-doubts-blog
Are the people tasked with answering your questions about swine flu up to scratch?<p>The <a href="http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/groups/dg_digitalassets/@dg/@en/documents/digitalasset/dg_178842.htm" title="swine flu hotline">swine flu hotline</a> has been up and running five days, but already <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jul/28/swine-flu-lords-criticise-government" title="doubts are being raised">doubts are being raised</a> about whether it can cope with demand should a &quot;second wave&quot; of the virus hit Britain in the autumn.</p><p>Not only that but many callers are dissatisfied with the advice they are given. One first-time mother described how she called the helpline about her three-month-old son and was asked a <a href="http://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/swine_flu/795516-Sore-Throat-Headache-amp-3-month-old-How-long-would" title="string of age inappropriate questions">string of age-inappropriate questions</a> such as &quot;can you ask him if he has a headache?&quot; A journalist from the Times who says she had the H1N1 virus <a href="http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/health/Swine_flu/article6725452.ece" title="reported">reported</a> that the helpline operator she phoned couldn't read the questions supplied and struggled to pronounce words including &quot;metabolic&quot;.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/news/blog/2009/jul/28/swine-flu-hotline-doubts-blog">Continue reading...</a>Swine fluHealthNHSHealth policyWorld newsSocietyUK newsPoliticsFluHealth & wellbeingTue, 28 Jul 2009 15:59:10 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/news/blog/2009/jul/28/swine-flu-hotline-doubts-blogHelen Pidd2009-07-28T15:59:10ZNational swine flu help service goes livehttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/jul/23/swine-flu-health-service
Will the new freephone and website service buckle under the weight of growing panic about the pandemic? We check out its online advice and the public's reaction<p><strong>3.03pm:</strong> The national <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/swine-flu">swine flu</a> help service finally goes live at 3pm today, with millions expected to call the telephone helpline - 0800 1513 100 - and <a href="http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/groups/dg_digitalassets/@dg/@en/documents/digitalasset/dg_178842.htm">website</a>. Until half an hour ago the Department of Health press office said it was unable to state at what time the service would actually launch, amid reports of serious IT problems, which is unlikely to reassure the government's critics that it has the situation in hand.</p><p>The service is intended to take the pressure off the NHS, which has seen <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jul/16/swine-flu-nhs-special-measures">growing demand put on GPs, hospital A&amp;E departments and NHS Direct</a> as the H1N1 virus has spread rapidly. But there are <a href="http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/health/article6723938.ece">fears the service could be open to abuse</a> with people exaggerating their symptoms in an attempt to get Tamiflu amid growing fears about the rising number of <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jul/22/swine-flu-west-midlands-death">deaths in the UK</a>. Others have criticised the use of non-medical staff to run the service, warning people could be misdiagnosed.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/jul/23/swine-flu-health-service">Continue reading...</a>Swine fluFlu pandemicFluHealthHealth & wellbeingHealth policySocietyUK newsPoliticsLife and styleThu, 23 Jul 2009 14:08:17 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/jul/23/swine-flu-health-servicePublic DomainCrashed National Pandemic Flu Service website Photograph: Public DomainSang Tan/APPackets of the antiviral drug Tamiflu being used to treat swine flu. Photograph: Sang Tan/APDavid Batty2009-07-23T14:08:17ZWhy I wouldn't cancel freshers' week to stop spread of swine fluhttp://www.theguardian.com/news/blog/2009/jul/23/cancelling-freshers-week-swine-flu
Students' introduction to university is rarely filled with close encounters of the carnal kind<p>So, <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2009/jul/23/universities-prepare-emergency-swine-flu-plans" title="the government is considering cancelling freshers' week">the government is considering cancelling freshers' week</a> in an attempt to halt the spread of swine flu. Whichever policy wonk floated this idea clearly had a better first week at university than I did. Presumably their higher education debut was marked by endless close encounters of the carnal kind, staggering home from the union teeming with other people's germs, which were then passed on again, squeezed into someone else's single bed back at halls.</p><p>I, however, spent my first week at university not swapping spit with random people I met in the matriculation queue, but quietly thinking to myself: is this it?</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/news/blog/2009/jul/23/cancelling-freshers-week-swine-flu">Continue reading...</a>Swine fluUK newsFreshersThu, 23 Jul 2009 11:38:20 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/news/blog/2009/jul/23/cancelling-freshers-week-swine-fluDon McPhee/GuardianThere's more to freshers' week than swapping saliva with random people. Photograph: Don McPheeHelen Pidd2009-07-23T11:38:20ZSwine flu pandemic imminenthttp://www.theguardian.com/news/blog/2009/apr/30/swine-flu
The WHO has raised its pandemic alert level as Mexico is shut down for five days and new suspected cases of swine flu have been announced in Peru and Switzerland. Follow the latest updates and reactions to the spread of the virus<p><strong>7.30am:</strong> </p><p>These are the main developments overnight:</p><p>Not only have the public lost all faith in the media; not only do so many people assume, now, that they are being misled; but more than that, the media themselves have lost all confidence in their own ability to give us the facts.</p><p>If swine flu spreads, you need to keep informed so that you know what else you can do to protect yourself and your family. As the situation changes, you should <br />keep up to date by watching TV, listening to the radio, checking the internet and looking out for announcements in the press. </p><p>I'd like to know if, as a clown of the Bosque de Chapultepec, I will be helped by the support program for those affected by the influenza. Since I was unjustly fired from my job as a mailman, I work [at the park] and that's how I support my family. Now that it's closed, how will I feed them? Or is the fund only for business owners who do have money and were affected by the closure of their bars or restaurants? Or will I have to look to get sick to be able to support my family? Where do I have to go to get help?</p><p><br />The advice he is giving family members is the same advice the administration is giving to all Americans: that they should avoid unnecessary air travel to and from Mexico. If they are sick, they should avoid airplanes and other confined public spaces, such as subways. This is the advice the vice president has given family members who are travelling by commercial airline this week.</p><p><br />The only disease that needs stamping out is mad journalism. At a time like this the media should shut up, report facts and tell people what they can do, not create statistically inflated hypotheticals and fantastical scenarios. </p><p><br />The six people represent the first possible cases of swine flu to reach the Washington region.</p><p>The sudden surge in first world swine fever has also overshadowed the plight of millions in the Horn of Africa, principally in Somalia where a reconfigured government is struggling to survive. Random violence, suicide attacks, kidnapping and armed robbery are daily problems facing the 3 million people currently dependent on food aid. Over 1 million Somalis are displaced, many living in insanitary tent cities. For them, flu is not a big issue.</p><p>The authorities took advantage of the situation to resolve the question of disorderly pig rearing in Egypt.</p><p>The infection is believed to have resulted from exposure while on business travel in Mexico between April 14-18, before Mexican health authorities and the WHO recognized and announced the epidemic. The final diagnosis has to be confirmed by a second test performed by the Center for Disease Control, a process which is underway.</p><p>Public Health Minister Dawn Primarolo backed the vast majority in warning it was too late to try to isolate the virus following the World Health Organisation's decision to raise its status to that of an imminent pandemic. </p><p>Instead the ministers today concentrated their efforts on agreeing [on] the closest possible cross-border co-operation to keep track of the spread of emerging cases of what the European Commission was calling the &quot;novel&quot; flu virus. </p><p><br />He says Mexico has 260 confirmed swine flu cases, including 12 deaths. But he says he'll stop updating his count of suspected cases and deaths, which had stood at about 2,500 and 168.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/news/blog/2009/apr/30/swine-flu">Continue reading...</a>Swine fluUK newsMexicoUS newsHealthSocietyFluLife and styleAmericasThu, 30 Apr 2009 06:43:04 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/news/blog/2009/apr/30/swine-fluPublic DomainJuan Carlos Ulate/ReutersAn immigration official wearing a surgical mask stands at Juan Santameria international airport in Cost Rica. Photograph: Juan Carlos Ulate/ReutersMatthew Weaver and Daniel Nasaw2009-04-30T06:43:04ZSwine flu: face masks in London?http://www.theguardian.com/news/blog/2009/apr/29/swine-flu-mask-london-blog
Send us your pictures of masked, flu-phobic commuters<p>It was only a matter of time: the masks are out. Yes, people have been spotted sporting <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/apr/29/swine-flu-health-masks-protection" title="Truth about surgical face masks">surgical face masks</a> in the UK amid fears of a <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/swine-flu" title="Swine flu full coverage">swine flu</a> pandemic .</p><p>Three fellow Guardian reporters en route to work saw people donning masks, and <a href="http://search.twitter.com/search?q=mask+in+london" title="Swine flu masks in London">several sightings have been reported in London</a> on <a href="http://twitter.com/" title="{pageBreak" }""="">Twitter</a>, including one on the London underground's Northern line.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/news/blog/2009/apr/29/swine-flu-mask-london-blog">Continue reading...</a>Swine fluLondonUK newsWorld newsHealthHealth & wellbeingSocietyLife and styleFluWed, 29 Apr 2009 13:10:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/news/blog/2009/apr/29/swine-flu-mask-london-blogDan Kitwood/Getty ImagesAmid the swine flu scare, a man wears a mask upon arrival at Gatwick airport on a flight from Mexico City. Photograph: Dan Kitwood/Getty ImagesDan Kitwood/Getty ImagesAmid the swine flu scare, a man wears a mask upon arrival at Gatwick airport on a flight from Mexico City. Photograph: Dan Kitwood/Getty ImagesHaroon Siddique2009-04-29T13:10:00ZSwine flu: 'watch, prepare, reassure'http://www.theguardian.com/global/blog/2009/apr/29/swine-flu
A 23-month-old child has become the first victim of the outbreak outside Mexico, as three more cases were confirmed in the UK. Follow the latest updates and reactions to the spread of the virus<p><strong>9.04am:</strong> <br />Before we start on another day of swine flu blogging, a word or two on why we have been doing this. The Guardian columnist Simon Jenkins complained today of <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/apr/29/swine-flu-mexico-uk-media1">&quot;demented&quot; coverage of the swine flu outbreak</a> and the need to put this in perspective.</p><p>Many of those <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/blog/2009/apr/28/swine-flu">commenting on this blog</a> yesterday felt that minute-by-minute treatment of the outbreak was an example of yet more media hysteria. </p><p><br />It hasn't been easy to find those who know people who have died from the new strain of flu or who have relatives suffering from them, which isn't helped by the fact the the Mexican authorities are refusing to publish a list of the dead.</p><p>I did find people affected by the illness of course (hey - come on - I'm a snoop) but, well, given that the swine flu has been labelled a pandemic, there's no panic in the streets, no riots in the hospitals, and no over-supply of sufferers of their families to speak to.</p><p>We heartily endorse panic - not because we think there's more to fear than fear itself, but because panic, particularly on the part of the state's public officials, tends to get results.</p><p>The prime minister told the Commons that a 12-year-old girl from Torbay was among the victims, and her school, Paignton Community College, had been temporally closed and all other pupils offered anti-viral medicines.</p><p>Brown said the other two new cases were adults, one from Birmingham and one from London. All three had recently travelled to Mexico and had shown mild symptoms and were responding well to treatment.</p><p>&quot;The pores in the masks let through viruses. Viruses go through because the viruses are so small...they [the masks] give a false sense of security.&quot; </p><p>&quot;Only packed conditions allowing deathly sick hosts to pass disease repeatedly to the well can produce highly virulent strains of flu -- for animals or for people. The usual sort of human crowding will not do it. Even massive, densely populated Mexico City, with more than 20 million inhabitants, won't produce the kind of lethal strains that the Western Front did in World War I. People died in Mexico because they were close to the epicenter of the disease, to the probable emergence of lethal strains from crowded pig breeding. But natural selection's corrective action is swift and predictable: The strains spreading across the world are milder.&quot;</p><p>As multiple sources and medical experts have pointed out in the media, common strains of flu are responsible for far more deaths each year. So why all the frenzy?</p><p>We're keeping the situation under review. We revised our booking policy [allowing people to reroute or defer travel] when the FCO changed its advisory on Monday, and we would review our policy again following any EC directives. But people still want to fly to Mexico. There were several dozen people on our flight out there this morning. There are people who want to fly out to help their families in Mexico and people who want to come home from Mexico. And the WHO said that there was no point in stopping travel. Our staff are briefed to help people with their questions.</p><p>We haven't had time to consider France's request to suspend flights, but we are still operating 12 flights a week to Mexico City and people are still flying.</p><p>Phase 5 is characterized by human-to-human spread of the virus into at least two countries in one WHO region. While most countries will not be affected at this stage, the declaration of Phase 5 is a strong signal that a pandemic is imminent and that the time to finalize the organization, communication, and implementation of the planned mitigation measures is short.</p><p>I couldn't even touch my son he was so hot. I couldn't pick him up. His muscles were seizing up on him. He couldn't move. He had a fever of 102. He was throwing up, and diarrhoea. He screamed out when I touched him. My wife was freaking out. I thought I was going to lose my son. It's the hardest thing in the world.</p><p><br />Potential Swine Flu, huh? Best stay at home, batten down the hatches and play some computer games! What should we play first!? Resi Evil 5!?</p><p><br />The proper response is simple. The government should use its rightful authority over the border to control entry into our country of foreign nationals who pose a threat to our health by spreading the virus into areas where it does not exist. America's doctors, hospitals and health care professionals – the best in the world – should then take the lead on eradicating the virus where it already exists.</p><p>&quot;Madness. Not even after the 1985 earthquake was it like this,&quot; said Juan Perez, 44, scrubbing the front of Julia's, a shuttered taco joint on Avenida Cuauhtemoc. &quot;This is a disaster.&quot;</p><p>Crime rates have fallen, air quality has greatly improved and birds are audible on what once were thronged thouroughfares.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/global/blog/2009/apr/29/swine-flu">Continue reading...</a>Swine fluUK newsMexicoWorld newsUS newsFluLife and styleAmericasWed, 29 Apr 2009 08:30:16 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/global/blog/2009/apr/29/swine-fluCenters for Disease Control/ReutersAn electron micrograph of the A H1N1 swine influenza virus. Photograph: Centres for Disease Control/ReutersDaniel Nasaw2009-04-29T08:30:16ZSwine flu: alert raisedhttp://www.theguardian.com/news/blog/2009/apr/28/swine-flu
The British couple being treated for swine flu have been named, as fear of a pandemic increase and the death toll in Mexico continues to rise. Follow the latest updates on the spread of the virus<p><strong>8.07am:</strong> <br />The British couple being treated for swine flu in an isolation ward in a Scottish hospital, have been named as <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/apr/28/swine-flu-scotland-mexico">Iain and Dawn Askham</a>. They had just returned from Mexico where the authorities said the virus had caused 152 deaths. The World Health Organisation reports a lower figure of 73.</p><p>In the United States 50 non-fatal cases have been confirmed. Worldwide there were 79 confirmed cases, including six in Canada, one in Spain and the couple in Scotland.</p><p>British nationals resident in or visiting Mexico may wish to consider whether they should remain in Mexico at this time. </p><p>British Nationals should continue to follow local advice on precautions to take to avoid exposure to the influenza.</p><p><a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/prepared-for-the-apocalypse-mexicos-masked-metropolis-1675175.html">&quot;Prepared for the Apocalypse&quot;</a>, the Independent thunders this morning describing Mexico as a &quot;quasi-apocalyptic vision of anonymous faces shrouded in government-issued surgical masks&quot;. </p><p>The <a href="http://www.dailyexpress.co.uk/posts/view/97523">Express</a> offers a double page spread on &quot;Pandemic Pandemonium&quot;. &quot;It destroyed the Roman Empire, wiped out most of the New World and killed millions in Europe. How disease - not just Mexico's swine fever - has shaped the planet.&quot; </p><p>Things could change at any moment. But more worrisome is the corrosive and contagious quality of the fear, not the flu. And frankly the economic impact of this outbreak has the potential to be even more painful and long-lasting for all of us.</p><p>Yet the panicky atmosphere in Mexico City is palpably toxic. So I'm heading out of town for a few days -- before they really do shut down the metro. School is cancelled and most 'fun' things are closed.</p><p>We are about to go into our busiest time of year with health services normally being pushed to the max by respiratory illnesses. Add all the possible swine flu sufferers and you have a recipe for a completely overwhelmed health service. Add everyone with cold and flu symptoms (understandably) panicking and trying to access the heath system to find out whether they have the disease or not and we have all the makings of utter chaos. </p><p>Sensationalist reporting is likely to see tamiflu wiped off Britain's shelves and encourage an influx of needlessly worried people into doctors' surgeries - wasting time and resources already rationed thanks to the marketisation imposed on the NHS by the government. But whatever happens the media barons will wash their hands of the consequences.</p><p>&quot;Most consumers think pandemic means something like the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918-1919, which is said to have killed between 20 million to 100 million people. Something like that is unlikely to happen today, however. Nearly a century ago, the standards of living and medical care, for humans and animals, were vastly different. The country was recovering from World War I, with widespread poverty, hunger and unsanitary living conditions, coupled with no available antibiotics or flu medications or modern medical care.&quot;</p><p>&quot;There is always some flu around and flu is always killing some people. Even when a raw mutant flu manages to kill off more people than a shooting-war, flu has never ravaged whole cities as cholera or the Black Death can do. As awful pandemics go, flu is like the snotty-nosed little sister of awful pandemics.&quot;</p><p>&quot;'No one can prove it,' said Ms. Lamonaca, who came to the door of her family's house in Forest Hills, Queens, on Monday, in a gray tank top, athletic shorts and a surgical mask. Her parents, she said, had ordered her not to take off the mask until her symptoms went away. They made a 'quarantine' sign to hang on the doorknob of her bedroom, she added.&quot;</p><p>&quot;<a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/2009/apr/28/swine-flu-mexico">The public panic about swine flu is completely out of proportion to the threat involved</a>. People don't seem to understand the concept of risk any more - either that or we have become so risk-averse as a society that we are not prepared to stomach even the slightest threat to our health.&quot;</p><p>Coroner's spokesman Craig Harvey said Bellflower Medical Center reported the death of a 33-year Long Beach resident Monday afternoon from symptoms resembling swine flu.</p><p>&quot;It's that diagnosis that needs to be confirmed,&quot; Harvey said. &quot;An autopsy will be performed to establish the cause of death.&quot;</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/news/blog/2009/apr/28/swine-flu">Continue reading...</a>Swine fluMexicoUK newsUS newsWorld newsFluLife and styleAmericasTue, 28 Apr 2009 07:24:55 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/news/blog/2009/apr/28/swine-fluKPA/Zuma/Rex Features/KPA/Zuma/Rex FeaturesTravellers wearing masks due to the swine flu outbreak in Mexico. Photograph: KPA/Zuma/RexDaniel Nasaw2009-04-28T07:24:55ZSwine flu outbreak spreadshttp://www.theguardian.com/news/blog/2009/apr/27/swine-flu
As the death toll from swine flu in Mexico rises to more than 100 people, governments around the world are on high alert for a possible flu pandemic. Follow the latest updates on the spread of the virus<p><strong>8.35am:</strong> <br />The <a href="http://www.hpa.org.uk/webw/HPAweb&amp;HPAwebStandard/HPAweb_C/1240646410227?p=1231252394302">Health Protection Agency</a> is working on the assumption that between <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-wellbeing/health-news/swine-flu-sweeps-globe-1674735.html">15% and 50% of the British population might contract swine flu</a>, according to the Independent.</p><p>&quot;If swine influenza continues to spread the way it is spreading, I don't see how we will avoid it,&quot; Professor Nick Phin, head of the agency's pandemic influenza unit, told the paper.</p><p>Persons who develop influenza-like-illness (ILI) (fever with either cough or sore throat) should be strongly encouraged to self-isolate in their home for 7 days after the onset of illness or at least 24 hours after symptoms have resolved, whichever is longer. </p><p>Visitors to Mexico should be aware of an outbreak of influenza. The federal health ministry issued a nationwide alert on 22 April after learning that a number of people had died from what appears to be a new form of influenza.</p><p>Cases have been reported in Mexico City, together with the states of Oaxaca, San Luis Potosi, Mexicali and Baja California. Travellers should consult a doctor immediately if they show signs of flu-like symptoms.</p><p>World Health Organization declares &quot;public health emergency of international concern&quot;. This is not in China, Africa, or some distant country... This is in the USA and MEXICO! Turn on any television station, open any news paper. This is getting worse by the minute.</p><p>Uncontrollable fever, extreme diarrhea, violent vomiting, death.</p><p><br />Authorities in the Castilla La Mancha region's health service said the victim was a 22-year-old student. &quot;He arrived from a study trip to Mexico on the 22nd,&quot; an official said. </p><p>The swine flu may prove that the WHO/Centres for Disease Control version of pandemic preparedness – without massive new investment in surveillance, scientific and regulatory infrastructure, basic public health, and global access to lifeline drugs – belongs to the same class of Ponzified risk management as Madoff securities. It is not so much that the pandemic warning system has failed as it simply doesn't exist, even in North America and the EU.</p><p>Treatment: If you get sick, antiviral drugs can make your illness milder and make you feel better faster. They may also prevent serious influenza complications. For treatment, antiviral drugs work best if started as soon after getting sick as possible, and might not work if started more than 48 hours after illness starts.</p><p>Prevention: Influenza antiviral drugs also can be used to prevent influenza when they are given to a person who is not ill, but who has been or may be near a person with swine influenza. When used to prevent the flu, antiviral drugs are about 70% to 90% effective. When used for prevention, the number of days that they should be used will vary depending on a person's particular situation.</p><p>We do believe that our efforts are developed and prepared to confront this wherever it might occur inside our own country, and enhanced cooperation across boundaries will be very important. And we obviously have offered help and assistance to the Government of Mexico to make sure that they have the resources and the technical expertise that they might need if they so request.</p><p>Yes, the swine flu could mutate and become more dangerous. It could spread farther and further. What's more worrisome is the corrosive and contagious quality of the fear, not the flu. And frankly the economic impact of this outbreak has the potential to be even more painful and long-lasting for all of us.</p><p>Yet the panicky atmosphere in Mexico City is palpably toxic. So I'm heading out of town for a few days - before they really do shut down the metro. School is canceled and most 'fun' things are closed. </p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/news/blog/2009/apr/27/swine-flu">Continue reading...</a>Swine fluMexicoUS newsWorld newsFluLife and styleAmericasMon, 27 Apr 2009 07:43:27 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/news/blog/2009/apr/27/swine-fluMiguel Tovar/APPeople wearing surgical masks as a precaution against infection, wait for a subway train in Mexico City. Photograph: Miguel Tovar/APDaniel Nasaw and Matthew Weaver2009-04-27T07:43:27ZSwine flu: panic spreads worldwidehttp://www.theguardian.com/news/blog/2009/apr/26/swine-flu-mexico
As the death toll from swine flu in Mexico rises, follow the latest updates on the virus and the precautions taken by authorities all over the world<p><strong>9.55am:</strong> <br />New Zealand's health minister, Tony Ryall, said today that 10 students who just returned from Mexico have tested positive for influenza. He said the cases are &quot;likely&quot; to be swine flu.</p><p>But he added there was &quot;no guarantee&quot; the students had swine flu, and that none of the patients were seriously ill and seemed to be recovering.</p><p><br />In moments like this, one is tempted to lament the death of broadcasting, for it seems that the information from expert sources – government, doctors, and the like – should probably be prioritized over everything else and have a higher chance of being seen that the information from the rest of one's Twitter-feed, full of speculation, misinformation, and gossip.</p><p><br />As a doctor, I realise that the media does not report the truth. Authorities distributed vaccines among all the medical personnel with no results, because two of my partners who worked in this hospital (interns) were killed by this new virus in less than six days even though they were vaccinated as all of us were. The official number of deaths is 20, nevertheless, the true number of victims are more than 200. I understand that we must avoid to panic, but telling the truth it might be better now to prevent and avoid more deaths.</p><p>They wanted us to stay in the house, and they won't let anyone stay in the house. Hayden's in the house. They told him to stay in his room for five days. We were told not to go in and out and interact with other people [for an indefinite amount of time]. </p><p>I hate to know that someone got sick because we leave the house. So we are going to stick by the rules.</p><p><br />Dr Hay said this H1 swine flu virus is &quot;already worse than H5&quot;, in terms of &quot;the number of cases, the number of deaths and the locality of the area affected...This isn't sporadic, this is human&quot;.</p><p>Dr Hay stressed that it may turn out that the situation is less alarming than it appears now, but this will be hard to assess until experts know clinical details of the cases in Mexico, such as the length of time from infection to death.</p><p>Scientists at the WHO's flu laboratory at the National Institute for Medical Research in north London spent this weekend working on the virus and expect to have diagnostic kits that can detect the strain ready within a few days.</p><p>&quot;This virus has emerged very suddenly and right now, the ability to detect people who are carrying the infection is a very high priority,&quot; said Alan Hay, director of the laboratory.</p><p><br />French health ministry officials said four possible cases of swine flu are currently under investigation, including a family of three in the northern Nord region and a woman in the Paris region. The four recently returned from Mexico. Tests on two separate cases of suspected swine flu proved negative, they said.</p><p>Spain's Health Ministry said three people who just returned from Mexico were under observation in hospitals in the northern Basque region, in southeastern Albacete and the Mediterranean port city of Valencia.</p><p><br />In today's globalized, wired world, information about outbreaks is almost <br />impossible to keep hidden from the public. Eventually, the outbreak will <br />be revealed. Therefore, to prevent rumours and misinformation and to <br />frame the event, it is best to announce as early as possible...</p><p>Early announcements are often based on incomplete and sometimes <br />erroneous information. It is critical to publicly acknowledge that early <br />information may change as further information is developed or <br />verified. </p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/news/blog/2009/apr/26/swine-flu-mexico">Continue reading...</a>Swine fluMexicoWorld newsUS newsFluLife and styleAmericasSun, 26 Apr 2009 09:08:40 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/news/blog/2009/apr/26/swine-flu-mexicoMiguel Tovar/APA soldier hands out surgical masks to people in cars at an intersection in Mexico City. Photograph: Miguel Tovar/APMatthew Weaver2009-04-26T09:08:40Z